Since the bowl showdown between Louisiana Tech and SMU was set on Selection Sunday, coaching staff changes have stolen the pregame chatter.

Former Tech head coach Sonny Dykes, current coach Skip Holtz’s predecessor, was hired last Monday and the next day, assumed full coaching duties of the Mustangs (7-5) for the inaugural Frisco Bowl Wednesday night. After former interim head coach Jeff Traylor bolted to rejoin former SMU and now Arkansas head coach Chad Morris, Dykes announced Thursday that G.J. Kinne, a graduate assistant with the program, was going to call plays, marking the end of a wild week.

In Ruston, nothing changed for the Bulldogs (6-6) on the coaching front but they kept an eye on the developments from their opponent.

Once the ball is kicked off at Toyota Stadium, here are the matchups to watch between Tech and SMU:

Much like the defensive game planning nightmare Louisiana Tech caused opponents the last couple of seasons with a pair 1,000-yard receivers, SMU wide receivers Trey Quinn and Courtland Sutton fit that mold coming into the Frisco Bowl with 1,191 and 1,017 yards receiving, respectively. They both have scored 12 touchdowns apiece for a Mustang offense that average putting up 40 points per game.

Tech freshman cornerback Amik Robertson emerged as his defense’s young sensation early in the year and pieced together a solid first season in Ruston. Robertson finished the regular season with four interceptions, one of only five true freshmen in the country, for a defensive backfield that improved its passing defensive numbers by 60 spots, from 116th to 56th. The Conference USA All-Freshman selection also sits third on the team with 58 tackles.

On the other side, Sneed is set to make just his fifth start this season after battling some injuries and missing two games in the middle of the year.

Quinn or Sutton? Which will Roberston and Sneed cover? How often will Louisiana Tech defensive coordinator Blake Baker have either one of them line up in the slot? Containing SMU’s receivers as best as they can will be a big key in Louisiana Tech winning in Frisco.

Tech running game v. SMU front 7

SMU has not been known to hold foes’ rushing attack in check this year, giving up 185.8 rushing yards per contest. Opponents have scored 32 touchdowns on the ground versus the Ponies, 10 of those coming in the last two games. Against a defense struggling to stop the run and allowing more than 35 points per game, Tech should come out with a run-first game plan.

Louisiana Tech has gone 4-0 this season when it has outrushed its opponent, and on Wednesday, the Bulldogs backfield senior duo will be back in full force after senior tailback Jarred Craft sat out two games before the regular season finale and carried the ball once versus UTSA in the finale before exiting the game. Boston Scott has picked up the slack in his rushing partner’s absence, surpassing the 100-yard mark in both the last two games with averaging 6.5 yards per carry.

Michael Rodriguez v. Justin Lawler

SMU senior defensive end Justin Lawler heads into the Frisco Bowl with 15.5 tackles-for-loss including 9.5 sacks, tied for 10th highest in the nation. When Lawler records at least a share of a sack, the Mustangs are 5-1 this year.

For the Bulldogs, setting the edge will be vital for not only getting the run game going but also creating time for redshirt sophomore quarterback J’Mar Smith to stand in the pocket and deliver throws. From his right guard position, Tech redshirt junior Michael Rodriguez will be tasked with blocking Lawler, who has the second-most tackles for the SMU defense with 74 stops, for much of the game.

SMU QB Ben Hicks v. Tech defensive coaching staff

With the sudden changing of the coaching guard at SMU last week, newly named head coach Sonny Dykes assumed the coaching role for the bowl game and handed off offensive play-calling duties to graduate assistant G.J. Kinne.

Working mostly with the offensive line in his first season at SMU, Kinne will be getting his first crack at orchestrating SMU’s offense and the Dallas Morning News reported over the weekend that Hicks, the redshirt sophomore gun slinger, will “play a larger role in game planning for the Frisco Bowl.”

Hicks told the local media that while he and Kinne will script most of the offense’s plays, he has the “range to kind of do what I like to do.”

That unknown takes away some of the “coordinator personality” that Tech head coach Skip Holtz told The News-Star late last week in regard to what you normally can expect to see in a bowl game. The Bulldogs will gear up for the tendencies that the Mustangs set all season long, but Holtz acknowledged that his defensive staff is in for a challenge heading into Wednesday’s night matchup.

Don't miss a moment of the action. Cory Diaz will be live blogging the game beginning with the coin toss at 7 p.m.

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